Elevator signalling devices



April 17, 1962 Filed April 9, 1958 R. H. WAGNER ELEVATOR SIGNALLING DEVICES u, kb bPL WITNESSES y/AKM Z.

INVENTOR Robert H. Wagner ATTORNEY A ril 17, 1962 R. H. WAGNER 3,030, 7

ELEVATOR SIGNALLING DEVICES Filed April 9, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,030,697 ELEVATOR SIGNALLENG DEVICES Robert H. Wagner, Madison, N.J., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 9, 1958, Ser. No. 727,313 4 Claims. (Cl. Mil-21) This invention relates to elevator systems having signalling devices and more particularly to elevator systems wherein the elevator cars have floor position indicators.

The invention is applicable to elevator systems employing one or more elevator cars serving any desired number of landings or floors of a structure or building. The invention may be applied to an elevator car operated with or without attendants in the elevator car. The invention is particularly suitable for elevator systems which are arranged for operation Without attendants in the cars.

It is conventional practice to provide an elevator car with a car position indicator observable by passengers in the car. Such an indicator generally takes the form of a series of numerals disposed above the door of the elevator car, each numeral corresponding to the number of a floor served by the car. As the car moves from one floor to another, the numerals are successively unmasked or illuminated to continuously inform the car passengers of the position of the car.

In many cases, particularly in elevator systems of the automatic type, the car passengers are preoccupied and do not observe the car position indicator, as a result of which they occasionally fail to depart the car at their desired floors. This may lead to annoyance on the part of the passengers and to unjustified criticism of the elevator system.

In accordance with the invention, an elevator system in which an elevator car has a car position indicator is provided with an additional signalling device to draw the attention of car passengers to the position indicator when the car is about to stop at a floor to discharge passengers. The additional signalling device may take the form of an audible or visual indicator or a combination of both. For example, the additional signal may be a gong, bell, buzzer or voice; or it may be a blinking or a non-blinking light.

The additional signalling device may be located either within or outside of the elevator car itself. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the additional signalling device is carried by the elevator car and is either integral with or located adjacent the car position indicator.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an improved signalling system for elevator cars.

It is another object of the invention to provide an elevator ear with a signalling device for indicating to car passengers the approach of the elevator car to 'a floor at which passengers wish to depart the car.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an elevator car having a floor position indicator with an additional signalling device for directing the attention of car passengers to the position indicator when the car is about to stop at a desired floor to discharge passengers.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic View with parts in elevation of an elevator system which may embody the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of floor position indicator illuminating circuits for the elevator cars illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view including circuits in straight line form of a control system embodying the invention; and

3,030,607 Patented Apr. 17,. 1962 FIG. 3A is a key representation of electromagnetic relays and switches employed in the circuits of FIG. 3. If FIG. 3 is horizontally aligned with FIG. 3A, it will be found that coils and contacts of the switches and relays appearing in the key representation are horizontally aligned with the corresponding coils and contacts shown in these circuits.

Features of applicants invention may be employed in single-car or multi-car systems which are designed to serve structures or buildings having various numbers of floors. In a multi-car system, the system may include any desired number of elevator cars arranged in a bank. In order to simplify the presentation as much as possible, however, the invention will be described with reference to the system shown in the Suozzo Patent 2,695,077 which issued November 23, 1943. Insofar as possible, the conventions employed in the Suozzo patent will be adhered to in the present discussion. Components of the Suozzo patent which are herein illustrated will be identified by the same reference characters employed in the Suozzo patent.

FIG. 1 includes all components of FIG; 1 of the Suozzo patent and the similar components of the two figures. operate in identical manner. For this reason, a detailed discussion of the components is believed to be unnecessary at the present time. For convenience, however, the following components appearing in FIG. 1 are listed:

A and B-cars 1(lcounterweight 11cable 13sheave 14-shaft 15-driving motor 16brake drum 17brake l9-control device (floor selector) It to Sc and bc-car-call buttons Operation of the floor selector 19 is described in detail in the aforesaid Suozzo patent. Briefly, the floor selector 19 includes an insulating panel 20 and a brush carriage 21 which moves upwardly or downwardly in, accordance with upward or downward movement, respectively, of the elevator car A. The brush carriage 21 has a plurality of brushes which successively engage fixed isolated contact segments mounted on the panel 20.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a floor position indicator for each of the elevator cars. To this end a floor position indicator Pl, shown generally by a rectangle is mounted in the elevator car A. As heretofore mentioned, the floor position indicator ordinarily takes the form of a series of numerals which may be successively illuminated as the car moves from one floor to another.

Illumination of the numerals may be accomplished by means of an individual light for each numeral, the lights being energized by means of the successive engagement of a brush with each of a plurality of contact segments which correspond in number to the number of floors served by the elevator car, as is illustrated in FIG. 2.. Conveniently, the floor position indicator brush and contact segments may be associated with the floor selector 19. Thus, in FIG. 2 contact segments kb and k1 through k5 are arranged in a row on the panel 20 in the order and in accordance with the spacing of the floors, the con tact segments being insulated from one another. When the elevator car A is at the basement floor, a brush 101 mounted on the carriage 21 engages the contact segment kb to complete an energizing circuit from the direct current bus L-lto the direct current bus L for a light bPL, assuming a manual switch 103 to be closed condition, as is shown in FIG. 2. The light bPL illuminates its associated numeral or letter to indicate that the elevator car A is at the basement floor. As the elevator car proceeds upwardly from the basement, the brush 101 successively engages the contact segments k1 through k5, as the elevator car approaches respectively the floors 1 through of the structure. Lights lPL through SPL are thereby successively energized to illuminate their associated floor position indicator numerals. The above operation is reversed for downward movement of the elevator car A.

The elevator car A is also provided with an additional signalling device SA, shown generally by a rectangle in FIG. 1. As pointed out above, the signalling device SA may be audible or visual or a combination of both. Such signalling devices are well known. Preferably, the additional signalling device, whether of an audible or a visual type, is located at or adjacent the position indicator PI to draw attention to the position indicator.

Since the operation of the invention is identical for each of the elevator cars A and B, such operation will be described with reference to the elevator car A only.

FIG. 3 is identical to FIG. 2 in the aforesaid Suozzo patent, with the exception that the signalling devices SA and BSA and their associated make contacts TTZ and BTTZ, respectively, have been added, at the bottom thereof.

The following apparatus is common to the present FIG. 3 and to FIG. 2 of the Suozzo patent and operates in the same manner, except that the contacts TT2 are added to the relay TI:

TTcar-call stopping relay M-car-running relay W-up-preference relay X-down-preference relay 23, 4tlbrushes hb, k1 to 11 1, al to a5contact segments 51 to 54mechanical switches 100 to Sea and bcc-car-call button holding coils As long as the contacts TTZ of the car call stopping relay remain open, operation of the elevator car A in the present case is identical with its operation in the aforesaid Suozzo patent. For this reason, the present discussion of the operation of the system will be directed primarily to the features which modify the operation presented in the Suozzo patent. As explained therein, when one of the car-call push buttons to Sc or be is manually operated to register a car call for a floor served by the elevator car A, the car-call stopping relay TI picks up, as the elevator car approaches the floor for which the car call is registered, to initiate a stopping operation of the elevator car at that floor. When the relay TT picks up, its make contacts TT2 close to place the signalling device SA across the direct current buses L+ and L. Energization of the signalling device SA in this manner serves to draw the attention of the car passengers to the floor position indicator PI. Thus, those passengers wishing to depart the elevator car when the car stops at a floor for which a car call has been registered are made aware that the car is about to stop at such floor.

Since the car-call stopping relay IT is deenergized as the elevator car stops at a floor for which a car call has been registered, as explained in the Suozzo patent, the contacts TTZ then break, thereby deenergizing the signalling device SA. Subsequent pickup of the relay TT in response to another registered car call again results in energization of the signalling device SA in the manner described above.

As heretofore pointed out, the additional signal may be a blinking light. The blinking light may be a separate light disposed adjacent the car position indicator; or the position indicator numeral illuminating lights bPL and 1PL through SPL themselves may be caused to blink upon pickup of the car-call stopping relay 'IT in response to a registered car call. To this end, the manual switch 103 of FIG. 2 may be placed in open condition. Break contacts TT3 of the car-call stopping relay TT, paralleled by an appropriate flasher device 105, are then placed in series with the brush 101. When the relay TT picks up in response to a registered car call as described above, the contacts 'IT3 break to place the flasher device in series with the position indicator numeral illuminating light associated with the floor for which the car call has been registered.

Suppose, for example, that a car call has been registered for the third floor. As the elevator car A approaches the third floor, the relay TT picks up to open its break contacts TT3, placing the flasher device in series with the brush 101. In addition, the brush 101 engages the contact segment k3 to place the third floor numeral illuminating light 3PL of the position indicator PI in series with the flasher device 105. Operation of the flasher device then causes the light 3PL to blink on and off until the relay TI drops out and the contacts TT3 thereby make to short out the flasher device, as the elevator car comes to a stop at the third floor. Thus, the position indicating illuminating lights are efiective both to inform car passengers of the position of the elevator car and to draw attention of the passengers to the position indicator when the car is about to stop at a floor for which a car call has been registered. Since flasher devices are well known, it appears unnecessary to describe them further.

It is to be understood that the signalling device SA and the flasher device 105 may be used either separately or together, in the manner heretofore described.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments thereof, numerous modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the invention are possible.

I claim as my invention:

1. An elevator system comprising a structure having a plurality of floors, an elevator car, means mounting the elevator car for movement relative to the structure to serve the floors, motive means for moving the elevator car relative to the structure, car-call registering means operable from within the elevator car for registering car calls for each of said floors, floor-call registering means operable from each of said floors for registering floor calls for the associated floor, control means operable in cooperation with the motive means and the car-call and the floor-call registering means for moving the elevator car and for stopping the elevator car at each floor for which a call is registered by the car-call or the floor-call registering means, and signalling means carried by the elevator car, said signalling means having a first condition when the elevator car is to stop at a floor in response to the registration of a call for such floor by said car-call registering means for indicating the approach of the elevator car to and the arrival of the elevator car at the last-named floor, said signalling means having a second condition when the elevator car is to stop at a floor in response to the registration of a call for such floor only by said floor-call registering means or when the elevator car is to by-pass such floor.

2. An elevator system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signalling means comprises position indicating means observable by passengers in the elevator car for indicating the position of the elevator car with respect to the structure, said position indicating means including a separate visual indicator for each of said floors, said first and second conditions being different visual characteristics of each of said visual indicators.

3. An elevator system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signalling means comprises position indicating means observable by passengers in the elevator car for indicating the position of the elevator car with respect to the structure, said position indicating means including separate illuminating means for each of said floors, and means responsive to a stopping operation of the elevator car at only each floor for which a call is registered'by said car-call registering means for repetitively blinking the illuminating means associated with such floor to establish said first condition of said signalling means.

4. An elevator system comprising a structure having a plurality of floors, an elevator car, means mounting the elevator car for movement relative to the structure to serve the floors, motive means for moving the elevator car relative to the structure, car-call registering means operable from Within the elevator car for registering car calls for each of said floors, floor-call registering means operable from each of said floors for registering floor calls for the associated floor, control means operable in cooperation with the motive means and the car-call and the floor-call registering means for moving the elevator car and for stopping the elevator car at each floor for which a call is registered by the car-call or the floor-call registering means, indicating means carried by the elevator car and observable by passengers in the elevator car for indicating the position of the elevator car with respect to the structure, and signalling means carried by the elevator car and disposed adjacent said indicating means, said signalling means having a first condition when the elevator car is to stop at a floor in response to the registration of a call for such floor by said car-call registering means for directing the attention of said elevator car passengers to said indicating means, said signalling means having a second condition when the elevator car is to stop at a floor in response to the registration of a call for such floor only by said floor-call registering means or when the elevator car is to by-pass such floor.

References (lifted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,948,077 Prescott Feb. 20, 1934 2,730,693 Lerch Jan. 10, 1956 2,738,489 Borden Mar. 13, 1956 2,876,432 Gordon Mar. 3, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 522,966 Great Britain July 2, 1940 1,025,694 France Apr. 17, 1953 

